- The day started with Skelton £68,483 ahead, but Mullins’ horses dominated
- Gaelic Warrior, Appreciate It, Gentleman De Mee, and Classic Getaway all won
Willie Mullins had just made history but he was not ready to celebrate.
First he wanted to share a handshake with Dan Skelton, whom he had beaten to the title of champion trainer once again, then he wanted to congratulate Olly Murphy, who had saddled the last big winner of jumps season.
Once those duties had been taken care of, Mullins began to speak. He stood in Sandown’s winner’s enclosure — which had effectively become his home from home on this momentous day — and reflected on how he retained the crown his stable landed for the first time 12 months ago.
In those five, candid minutes, Mullins said ‘tough’ 13 times. He felt for Skelton, who had led the race with just four races of the campaign to go; he spoke of the mental toll the planning of this operation had taken on him and the angst of watching it all unfold. Tough, tough, tough.
‘I just know what the last few weeks have been like for me,’ said Mullins, who saddled 21 runners on a day when Sandown had its first 10,000-plus crowd since before the pandemic. ‘You win some, you lose some. It must be tough on Dan but I am very happy for all our connections.
‘Once again, they said for us to go to England with their horses and do your best. It shows that they are all sportsmen. Really, I tried to keep away from it all — otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to get through it. I’m sure Dan was the same.’
Willie Mullins retained the trainers’ title with final-day surge past rival Dan Skelton
Skelton’s horses have run brilliantly but he has been engulfed by Mullins’ tsunami since Cheltenham
Skelton’s horses have run brilliantly all winter and his numbers, in terms of prize- money and winners, have been remarkable but he has been engulfed by Mullins’ tsunami since Cheltenham; at one stage Mullins was £2million behind in this race — he ended up winning it by £199,507.
The day began with Skelton £68,483 ahead but once Gaelic Warrior sauntered away with the Oaksey Chase for Paul Townend, with stablemates Appreciate It, Gentleman De Mee and Classic Getaway all collecting pounds and pence, we knew what was going to happen.
‘We’ll just try to have a go next year; it’s inevitable now, isn’t it?’ Skelton asked. His question required no answer.
Mullins poked his nose in front when Kitzbuhel finished third in the Select Hurdle before Il Etait Temps, ridden by the trainer’s nephew, Danny, produced the riding performance of the afternoon when dismantling 8-15 favourite Jonbon in the Celebration Chase.
‘I feel sorry for Dan,’ said Mullins, who had become the first Irishman to win this title since Dr Vincent O’Brien in 1954.
